1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a collapsible holder that is adapted to be removably connected to a motor vehicle at a conventional trailer hitch and folded into a compact package to facilitate transport thereof between uses. A unique bicycle mount is coupled to the collapsible holder, whereby a pair of bicycles may be conveniently carried by the vehicle.
2. Background Art
In my patent application Ser. No. 09/347,566 filed Jul. 6, 1999, a collapsible holder is disclosed to be removably connected to a conventional trailer hitch at the rear of a motor vehicle. More particularly, my collapsible holder is adapted to support a folding table and an outdoor grille of the type commonly used during a barbecue. By virtue of the foregoing, a family does not have to experience the inconvenience and waste of time that are sometimes associated with having to locate an available picnic area at which food can be cooked. That is to say, the aforementioned holder can be easily coupled to the trailer hitch attached to the family vehicle to enable a picnic, cook out, or the like, to be held along side the vehicle while avoiding the necessity of having to find a picnic table or an outdoor grille that is not in use. Thus, food can be cooked at any suitable location, including those (e.g. the parking lot of a sports stadium) at which a table and a grille are not often or easily found. Once the cook out has been completed, the collapsible holder is uncoupled from the trailer hitch and folded into a compact package to facilitate storage and transport.
Because of its compact nature and versatility, it would be desirable to be able to use the collapsible holder described in my earlier patent application to couple objects, other than a table or an outdoor grille, to the trailer hitch of a motor vehicle. One additional use that I have contemplated for my collapsible holder is to enable a bicycle to be conveniently transported at the rear of the vehicle without damage to the bicycle or the vehicle while leaving the interior of the vehicle free to carry passengers. Therefore, what is needed to accomplish this additional use is a bicycle mount that can be quickly and easily coupled to and removed from my collapsible holder so as to reliably support and retain one or more bicycles to be carried by a motor vehicle to which a trailer hitch has been attached.
One example of a bicycle rack that is coupled to a trailer hitch of a motor vehicle is available by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,639 issued May 19, 1999.